Star Trek: Horizon
by Blades
Summary: The USS Horizon is suddenly attacked and nearly destroyed by an unknown entity. A new Captain with ghosts of his own in his past must bring together a young crew to survive in this unkown territory.
1. Prologue

_**Star Trek: **__**Horizon**_

**Prelude:**

"_Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow…Creeps in this petty pace from day to day…To the last syllable of recorded time" -- Macbeth 5.5 18-20_

"All hands brace for impact!"

Alexander wrapped his arm around the last rung of the Jeffries Tube tunnel and closed his eyes. The slow vibrations quickly increased in intensity rattling the bars and bringing more chaos above. The Captain lost his footing on the rungs and screamed out as his arms pinched along the top rung. He knew not to let go no matter how hard the ship was shaking or it would be a long trip down.

The violent shudders of the ship finally eased and passed on, causing the top rung to loosen a little. Alexander gritted his teeth and lifted his hands to the carpeted floor of the bridge, pulling himself to the deck.

"Their torpedoes are ripping right through our shields as though they aren't even there!"

"We have decompression on decks 12, 14, and 15!"

"Phasers are offline, Warp engines are down!"

"Torpedo bays 1, 3, and 4 are destroyed. Torpedo bay 2 is exhausted of all payload!"

Smoke poured around the rear weapons panels, brushing into Alexander's eyes and causing him to cough with several other officers still manning their stations. Two bodies lay on the floor spread out nearby. Panels behind him were blown and exposed wiring flashed and sparked from above, dripping bio-neural gel to the floor where it began eating through the carpeting.

Alexander turned to face the screen, watching as it flickered and snowed, looking as though the ship were passing through a nebula.

"Shut up! Shut up! All of you shut up and focus!" the red-haired Commander from before screamed. "Get Phasers back online and get a hold of engineering, I don't care what it takes! We need emergency thrusters!"

"Captain on the deck!" a young Lieutenant shouted from behind Alexander. Alexander brushed at his eyes trying to keep the smoke away, pursed his lips together and stepped forward. All eyes on the bridge turned to him.

Alexander took deep breaths for a moment as he looked around the room. Exposed wiring, smoke rising to the roof, dead and injured throughout the room. His pulse rised for a moment as flashbacks of Locutus calling out over the intercom swept through the back of his memories. He looked down and rubbed at his temples.

"Captain?"

"Clear the bridge of all non-combat personnel," Alexander said, barely above a whisper.

As more than half of the bridge personnel cleared out, carefully hurrying past the debris and bodies, a thousand questions came into his mind at a thousand miles per hour. Who was attacking? Why were they attacking? Where was Captain Sulanic? How many enemies were there?

"Helm?"

"Sir."

"I don't care if you have to get out and push, get me evasive maneuvers," Captain Alexander Dorsey called, moving past the end seats and sitting in the Captain's chair. "Engineering is in worse shape than the bridge, so you'll have to work out the repairs yourself."

"Captain…" the red-haired commander hissed at his side.

Alexander ignored her and turned to the young Andorian behind him. "Weaps?"

"Sir?"

"Is the enemy firing on us?" he asked.

"No sir, they fire salvos of three before their cannons have to recharge," Weaps answered. "I estimate thirty seconds before the two ships open fire again."

"Shields?" Alexander asked.

"Down to thirty percent, sir, but their pulse torpedoes are passing through them as if they weren't even there," Weaps answered.

"Captain, with all due respect, I know you're higher--" the commander started again.

"Helm, what about the warp engines?" Alexander asked, again ignoring the Commander.

"Online, sir, barely," Helm answered. "I can give us warp 4, maybe 5. We're venting coolant all over the place, though."

"Sir, I have 25 Impulse power."

"Move us!" Alexander shouted. "2349.5, down bubble 90 degrees."

"Sir!" helm responded.

"Keep the impulse engines venting!" Alexander called.

"Sir!" the red-haired Commander hissed. "I was in command, here! You had no right--"  
"Now is not the time or place, Commander," Alexander hissed as he stood, straightening the top of his uniform. He moved to the Helm and knelt next to the young Lieutenant furiously pecking away at the command monitor in front of him. Sweat fell from his forehead down onto the soft black screen before him.

"Easy, son," Alexander said, putting his hand on the Lieutenant's shoulder. "We'll get through this."

(Just a taste…much more to come!)


	2. Sins of the Past

_**Star Trek: Horizon**_

Chapter 1

**Sins of the Past**

"_Perdition catch my soul. But I do love thee, and when I love thee not, Chaos is come again." Othello, 3.3.91-93_

**Stardate 59519.1**

**Talia, 12th Moon of Tenos VIII**

As the round, smooth stone passed through the shields and made its first skip across the methane ocean, it could have been any rock on any planet in the galaxy, save for the liquid giving a deep blue tint rather than soft blue or clear. On the second skip ice formed at the ridges of the stone, and by the third time the tossed stone hit the water the temperature had frozen the stone so much it shattered into pieces and fell into the slowly moving ocean.

Above, the sky was blue, the weather was warm, the wind was cool. Perfect weather for a trans-terra formed moon deep in the Tenos System. High above the bright yellow sun shown over the crescent gas giant and around the rings that ended just a few clicks from the moon. Twenty yards away, behind the grand shields of the terra formed moon was a torrent of frozen oceans, wastelands, great sweeping storms and radioactive destruction. Technology truly is amazing.

The cool breeze swept along the grass, catching the trimmed hair of the man staring out to the flowing waves of the methane ocean. He tossed another flat stone into the air, caught it, then let it loose, skipping through the shield and shattering on the third skip into the Okuda Ocean.

On the ground lay the gray overshirt of his uniform with communicator still attached, and a data pad relaying information. Schematics, statistics, personnel data all filled the screen of the pad, all telling of the _Nova_ class ship waiting back at Space Dock in Sector 001 for its Captain.

The young man's eyes glanced across the ship's complement of personnel as he reached down and picked up another smooth round rock. At the very top of the pad, in gold bold letters were his own name: **Alexander S. Dorsey, Captain**.

Alexander tossed another stone into the air and watched it fall back. The lighter gravity of the moon caused it to fall more slowly, somewhat like a leaf dancing on the wind back on Alexander's home. Galileo Regio, Ganymeade. When he closed his eyes, the young Captain could almost see the towering sky scrapers of the city, feel the falling snow. He could swear he felt the belt effects of Jupiter, listen to the jazz halls of Orleans Ave., hear the voice of the angel he swore he would marry. Her soft blonde hair flowing down her shoulders over her blue Starfleet uniform.

Alexander opened his eyes to the bright blue atmosphere. A flash of lightning reached from the clouds above to the waves of methane below. She was then. She was gone. This is now. He reached back and let loose the stone, breaking through the shield and shattering the rock into the ocean.

"Hey you!" a voice called from behind. "Stop that! You're not suppose to throw things onto the planet!"

Alexander turned to see a young officer rushing from the gray compound. He wore a green trim to his uniform and carried a heavy gray bag slung over one shoulder. Data pads seemed to be spilling out of the pad as the wind swept through his dark, curly hair. He had olive skin and looked to be descended from the Arab peoples of Earth.

"You know that you could destabilize that shield with that rock?" the young man called out.

"Come now, Ensign, I seriously doubt I'll destroy a shield built to take a direct phaser blast with a simple little rock," Alexander said.

The officer hurried down the hillside and came to a stop with a huff, slightly out of breath from his quick trek across the compound. His eyes widened at the sight of the four pins on Alexander's neck and he quickly straightened his posture and stared forward.

"My apologies, Captain, I didn't realize you were a…that is, I thought that…"

"--That someone was out here doing something they shouldn't be doing, Ensign?" Alexander finished for the young man. "You were quite right. Forgive a man for being alone in his thoughts and acting absentmindedly, Ensign-- Uh, Ensign--"

"Armand, Sir," he answered, letting the air from his lungs go. "Ensign Amir Armand, Captain."

"Very good, Ensign, you may at ease," Alexander answered. It still felt strange, after three years, to give the order after waiting for so long to hear it from Captains. Sometimes, Alexander forgot and stood waiting around for a second wondering 'why doesn't the Captain let them go?'

"What are you Captain of, may I ask, sir?" Amir queried as the Captain reached down and picked up his uniform and data pad. The two turned back to the compound.

Alexander's eyes moved past the square, hulking military compound to the distant mountains beyond. "You've already asked, but I'll answer. The USS _Queensland_."

"The _Queensland_?" Amir shook his head. "Sorry, I haven't heard of it."

"Just commissioned. Still in Space Dock, actually, awaiting final shakedown, as well as its Captain," Alexander replied with a hint of a smile.

"Ah," Amir answered.

"And you, Ensign?" Alexander asked.

"The _Horizon_, sir,' Amir answered. "Been on board a little more than year, now. Engineering, sir."

Alexander stifled a small laugh.

"Something…funny, sir?" Amir asked.

Alexander shook his head, his eyes again turning to the gas giant above in the sky. "Oh, sorry…It's just that…well, I started out in Engineering, quite a while back. Aboard the _Melbourne. _They quickly suggest that I might be better suited for something else."

"Command?" Amir asked slightly agog, before adding "Sir?"

"No, no," Alexander laughed. "The Marines, actually. I quite liked those white uniforms, too, but since about the only thing marines do in this age is protect outposts and work in secret holes in unknown quadrants, I decided to reapply into command."

"Ah, I see," Ensign Armand nodded.

"Did you ever wonder, Ensign, why it is that we put so much effort into making these planets, these moons…or parts of moons as the current case may be, into such delicate likenesses of Earth…or Betazed, or Qu'nos, and then build the ugliest square buildings and set them right in the middle of it all?"

"Um, no, sir," Amir asked, turning to look at the gray building. "Perhaps cost has something to do with it? Or perhaps since it is a military installation…I…I don't know, sir."

"An engineer who can admit to not knowing something?" Alexander asked. "You are a rare sight, indeed. At any rate, I thank you for being the good officer and doing your duty when others would have simply ignored a man throwing things into the planet's surface. I look forward to running into you again in the near future."

"Again, sir?" Amir asked.

"Yes," Alexander smiled. "I'm going to be hitching a ride aboard the _Horizon_ back to Vulcan before taking a shuttle to Sector 001."

"Very good, sir," Amir smiled.

"However, next time we meet, Ensign, loosen up a little," Alexander laughed as he turned to leave. He let a little wave over his shoulder as he passed through the sliding doors of the Federation compound.

Amir watched as the wind caught the Captain's brown hair and took a deep breath. "H--hey! Wait! What's that supposed to mean?"

Alexander tried to remember a more lovely and intoxicating voice.

"_Of Man's first disobedience, and the fruit of that forbidden Tree, whose mortal taste brought death into the world and all our woe, with loss of Eden, till one greater Man restore us, and regain the blissful seat, sing heavenly muse, that on the secret top of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire that shepherd, who first taught the chosen seed, in the beginning how the Heavens and Earth rose out of Chaos. Or…"_

Her hair was brown, lightened possibly by the sun or through cosmetic means. Nonetheless, it added to the beauty of the young officer with the blue trim to her uniform as she sat in the sunlight reading her data pad aloud to the children at her feet. Her blue eyes danced back and forth along the pages of the pad, and her soft pale skin reminded Alexander of the beauty of the women he met only on Betazed.

The woman paused as she pressed the bottom button of the pad to turn the page and looked up with her adorable blue eyes. Alexander blushed and quickly looked away, not realizing he was staring at her.

"Shakespeare?" a familiar voice asked.

"Milton, _Paradise Lost_" Alexander answered, not even looking over his shoulder as Ensign Armand slung his backpack over the couch and sat down, taking the last bite of his sandwich. "And I doubt it has ever been read more…um…carefully."

Amir looked from Alexander's unblinking eyes to the reading group seated on the square carpeting across the beautiful marble floor from the two. Great curved windows arched from the edges of the deck high above them, bathing the group in the brilliant blue sunlight as the last remnants broke through the methane atmosphere before setting behind the crescent gas giant at the edge of the horizon. Shuttle pods and Roundabouts made their way from the landing zones and back up to Deep Space 5, high above in orbit around Tenos, just outside the gravitational forces and radioactive belts. Simple, generic Starfleet architecture, just as the Captain had said.

"You, uh, want me to introduce you or something, Captain?" Amir asked, his eyes following the Captain's stare to the young officer.

Alexander stared for a moment longer before shaking his head and returning his gaze to the data pad on his lap. "Um, no…Uh, no, that's okay, Ensign."

"She's Lt. Commander Brianna Venoi, our ship's counselor," Amir continued, ignoring the faltering Captain. "Commander Bri if you know her well."

Alexander nodded. "Very good."

"_Shuttle pod 1458 destination USS Horizon now boarding"_ the intercom played overhead. Alexander, Amir, and Bri all grabbed their bags and stood. Alexander couldn't help but watch as Bri hugged the children and smiled at each one in turn.

The three turned and walked down the hall towards the port outside. They followed the moving circles guiding them along the walls to the first shuttle pod on the strip. It was rather small, even for a pod, with a Lieutenant already prepping it up on the inside panels. The name _Tubby_ was stenciled on the side of the pod, making the Captain laugh as he thought of turning the pod over and making it actually look like a tub floating in the ocean.

"Lt. Casey Albrams," the pilot called, not bothering to stand or salute the three officers as they boarded and closed the hatch behind them. "Welcome to the _Tubby_. We are scheduled for departure to the _Horizon_, estimated flight time will be 10 minutes. Due to high traffic volume of staffing ships at the station, we will have to take an altered course. I took it down, sirs, and it is quite a view, however, so sit back and enjoy the ride."

Alexander set his bag on the floor and crossed his hands in front of his chin, his brown eyes falling on the young woman sitting before him.

"Lt. Commander Brianna Venoi," she introduced herself, holding her hand out. Her accent was soft, warm, but not too sweet. Alexander never could get used to the informal nature of Counselors, but he took her hand and shook it.

"Captain Alexander Dorsey," he awkwardly answered, trying not to look her in the eyes. Or would that make her even more suspicious? Maybe he should look her in the eye and try not to bluff.

The Counselor laughed and looked away to Ensign Armand. "Ensign."

"Commander Bri," Amir smiled nodding his head. "Oh, I may have forgotten to mention, Captain, our friend Commander Bri is from Betazed."

Alexander let out a deep breath and turned to he aft windows, his face flushing. "Would have loved to have known that a few moments ago."

"Everyone strap in," Lt. Albrams called back. "We will be experiencing 0.6 G for a few moments before the manual gravity kicks in. Gives a bit of a rush to the stomach, so hold on."

The pod lifted from the ground as the engines came to life. Albrams eased the pod expertly forward and into the flight plan up and away through the blue methane atmosphere and quickly through the clouds to the highest levels of the atmosphere.

Immediately upon coming out from the atmosphere and the brilliance of the yellow sun bouncing off charged electrons in the blue atmosphere, the four were blasted with an ambiance of a busy fleet of ships. Shuttle pods, Shuttles, roundabouts moved in all directions from skeleton to skeleton. From station to planet, from ship to ship as the business of the backside of this gas giant was overwhelming.

The _Tubby_ slid along its flight plan through the moorings of a _Galaxy _Class starship and over its bow. The shining vividness of its gray hull blended delicately with the reds, blues, and white lights of the different power sources from the ship.

"If only Picasso could have seen the brilliance of a modern starship, just imagine the paintings we all would cherish today," Amir whispered as the three leaned over the pilot's shoulder to see the view.

The shuttle pod passed over the bow and along the Warp nacelle, a mere spec in the mass of power outside. Sparks lit the back of the blue nacelle as workers made repairs from a recent encounter. The perspective of their height to that of the ship was dizzying.

The pod swept through the mooring and passed out the back, heading in line over the front hull of a passing _Akira _class ship. Dark black lettering passed underneath the pod. _USS Kyoto _scrawled across the hull, as large as a football field.

"Here we come, now," Albrams called back to his passengers. "USS _Horizon_, this is shuttle pod _Tubbanaca Field_ coming along flight path three-four-oh-oh, copy?"

Alexander turned his gaze from the rear window and the aft of the _Kyoto_ to the fore of the shuttle pod. After his eyes lingered for a moment on the young Lt. Commander's backside they came to _Sovereign _Class starship.

"The USS _Horizon_, sir" Amir smiled. The pod descended under the hull and came up and around to aft of the enormous ship. "NCC 176-F. She was one of the originals. A _Daedalus_ class starship, originally. Built at the founding of the Federation and served with distinction in the Romulan wars. There's always been a _Horizon_ and its sister ship, the _Zenith. _Along with a _Saratoga, Yorktown, _and _Enterprise_."

"She's a beautiful ship," Alexander commented. "You should be proud."

"Oh, yes, sir, we are." Amir smiled as the pod passed through the rear shuttle hatches and into the bay.

Amir turned and picked up his bag from the floor, followed by Commander Bri. Alexander thanked the pilot and turned to pick up his bag.

"_Don't worry about the comment, Captain_," came a voice in his head. "_I noticed you were watching me on the station, too. After a while, one gets quite used to it. Just don't look at my backside in the shuttle pod like that again, okay?_"

Alexander smiled as he watched her go out the doors of the pod and out of view.

"Captain?" another Ensign asked as Alexander left the pod.

"Yes?"

"Captain Sulanic sends his apologies that he could not meet you in person, but you are invited to come straight away to his ready-room on the bridge," the Ensign answered, handing a data pad to the Captain. "Actually, Captain Sulanic said that he would very much like you to come right away, sir."

Alexander looked at the pad and took a deep breath. "Very good, thank you."

(Much more to come)

A/N Lots of action to come, I promise!


	3. The Way the Wind Blows

**Chapter 2**

**The Way the Wind Blows**

"_Don't try to be a great man…Just try to be a man." -- Zefram Cochrane_

**Stardate 59519.6**

_**USS Horizon**_

The seething winds swept grains of sand along the sweeping dunes between great mountains that reached straight out of the ground like a buried god reaching to the heavens above. A deep red sun looked down on the burned desperate wasteland. No life, no love could possibly come from these lands. Yet, some of the greatest minds, some of the greatest thoughts had come from these valleys.

Alexander leaned back in the soft, cushy seat, his hands crossed under the bit of stubble that had amassed under his chin in the last day and looked out over the ready room to the dry, emotionless painting on the wall.

A slight grin passed over his lips as he looked up at Vulcan, obviously painted by a Vulcan. Why on Earth, if one would excuse the expression, a Vulcan want to be a painter would want to be a painter was beyond Alexander's human mind to understand. It was sort of like a Klingon wanting to be an accountant.

A hiss at the doors awakened the Captain's mind back to the purple walls and gray carpeting of the otherwise undecorated ready room, and Alexander stood and smiled with his arms behind his back at the tall Vulcan male walking through the doors.

"Captain Dorsey," the Vulcan said as he stepped forward his eyes never leaving the data pad in his hands. "A pleasure to meet you."

"An odd statement, Captain Sulanic, " Alexander answered with a bit of a bow. "But the pleasure is returned in kind and full."

The Vulcan moved around his desk and set the pad down looking up at the younger Captain for the first time. His brown eyes moved up and down the Captain's torso. Alexander returned the gesture in kind, sizing up his counterpart. Alexander figured the man to be around 50 or so, though Vulcans aged so much more slowly and their age could be so deceptive.

"Your First Officer was an acquaintance of mind," Sulanic finally spoke. "Served as a helm officer for me when I was First Officer on the _Olympus Mons_."

"Ah, yes, Commander Belnar," Alexander answered. "Sorry, rather, Captain Belnar, now. An Angrionian."

Sulanic nodded and extended his hand for Alexander to seat, which he followed.

"Welcome to the _Horizon,_Captain," Sulanic finally said. "We will give you the best comfort we can on your way to Vulcan."

"I appreciate that, Captain," Alexander answered in kind.

"Tell me, Captain, what is your ship?" Sulanic asked, his eyes returning to the data pad.

Alexander shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He did not particularly like talking with Vulcans. To dry, to fact-based. They were far more interested in the "what's," rather than the "why's."

"The _Queensland,_" Alexander answered. "It's a Nova Class science ship."

Sulanic looked up from his pad and raised an eyebrow in that thoughtful way that Vulcans like to do. "A science-class ship? Fascinating."

Alexander furrowed his brow a bit. "Why?"

"I am looking at your service record, Captain, and find that you have been very busy," Sulanic answered. "Your first assignment was aboard the Melbourne. You came on board just as it was making its way to the battle of Wolf 359. Since then, you've been in several engagements along the Cardassian front, the Dominion Wars, and the battle of Sector 001. You've received commendations for your actions, but since the Dominion Wars came to a close, you've shied away from the big ships."

Alexander swallowed and looked away for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Captain, am I making you uncomfortable?" Sulanic asked.

"No," Alexander answered. "Not really. I expected this. You Vulcans like to just get it out there, and I commend you for that. The short, honest answer is that I just want to get away from action, thank you."

Sulanic nodded, crossing his fingers above his lips.

"This is a very nice vessel you have, Captain," Alexander said, trying to change the subject.

Sulanic nodded, his eyes looking up and around. "We're still working out most of the early bugs, a few primary systems problems, and a major headache in Engineering, but we're getting the new smell out."

Alexander laughed a little. "Humor?"

Sulanic nodded and eased back in his seat, pushing the data pad away on his desk. "I find that Humans can relax and do their positions more competently if I, shall we say, 'crack a joke' once in a while. I am, after all, One-fourth human."

Alexander smiled and started to answer, but the doors opened and a Bojoran officer stomped through.

"He's done it, again!" she hissed, stopping at the desk and pressing the palms of her hands on the top. Her arms were wide and she leaned forward over the desk as though she owned it. She completely ignored Alexander, her rear waving a foot or so away from his face.

"Calm yourself, Commander," Sulanic answered far more gently and calmly than Alexander felt he could ever muster. "Whom has done what?"

"That idiot Chief Engineer you brought from the _Zenith_!" the Commander spat. "He formatted his team into three shifts rather than four as we explicitly asked him to!"

Sulanic took a deep breath and slowly stood from his chair. "Captain Dorsey, I do apologize, but would you mind if I spoke alone with my First Officer?"

Alexander's eyes widened and he stood immediately as he nodded. He turned to walk but the Captain stopped him. "Captain, one quick thing I had hoped to discuss with you. We will be making a quick diversion to Deep Space 7 before moving on to Vulcan. The extra stop should take no longer than fourty-eight hours."

Alexander nodded. "So long as we don't take longer, I cannot see that as being a problem, Captain."

"Captain."

"Captain!" the Commander hissed again.

Alexander turned and shook his head exiting quickly before his opinion of this Commander grew worse or his tongue slipped.

IIII

"_Now, don't you worry, Mister," she answered. Her voice echoed the Midwestern accent she was born with on Earth. It had just a bit of Minnesota twang to it, but it drew Alexander in from the moment he first heard it. "I think Captain Vlenrio is more than capable of handling this little exploratory mission."_

_Alexander watched as she brushed a rogue strand of blonde hair back over her ear and smiled. When she smiled it was with so much more than her lips, but her eyes, and her whole face. It pulled him in, wrapped him around. From the first time he saw it, he was hooked._

_"I wish I could just reach through the screen," Alexander sighed. _

_"Hey, I'll be back soon enough," Emily answered. "Just think, three standard weeks and we'll be standing on a warm beach on Risa."_

Alexander sat up in his bed, wiping at his scratchy eyes. His dream faded quickly from his mind, though he knew what it had been about. How many times had he relived that memory? The last time he'd ever spoken to her, the last things he had ever said to her. That day on that beach on Risa never came. What was worse, there had never even been a funeral to say "goodbye."

The shrieking horns blared out from all over the room, red lights at either side of the door showing the status of the ship's alert system.

Alexander's immediate instincts were to jump out of bed and rush to the turbo-lift. Why hadn't anybody warned him of a possible situation? Where were the current communications? What was Commander Belnar doing?

Alexander threw his blanket off and turned to hurry, but caught his hands on the metallic ends of his bed. Strange, though, his bed had wooden posts on it. The Captain but the bottom of his palm on his forehead, trying to push his headache back and down as he closed his eyes.

This was not his ship. No one was communicating with him because he did not need to know what was going on.

The alarm silenced, but the red lights continued to flash.

Alexander took a deep breath as the lowered periphery lights came on around the room and stood up.

The desk before him vibrated a little as impulse engines powered up. A few of his clothes and a globe of Ganymede stood on the glass top, along with an old book he was given upon his promotion to Commander by his wife.

His wife. He looked down and twisted at his ring finger. No ring sat on it any longer. It just didn't feel right not having it there.

Alexander shook off his feelings of guilt and sadness and turned to the mirror at the edge of the room, taking a towel to wipe at his forehead. The man looking back at him felt so much older than he looked.

The deep brown eyes were lined with wrinkles, a fleck of gray here and there in his brown hair. The mind behind, wracked with death. He had seen enough dead, sure enough, but it was more than that. Ensign Majores, Lt. Talek, Commander Ku-thou. Three of the many he had ordered to their deaths. The lives of the few to save the lives of the many.

A red flash filled the room behind Alexander, coming from the window.

"_All hands brace for impact!"_

Alexander grabbed the edge of the sink as the room shuddered. A slow, violent shake at first, but then the rumbling continued as the shockwave passed through the ship. For the first time, Alexander felt a little apprehensive.

He turned and took a deep breath, hurrying to the closet and pulling one of his uniforms from the hangers within, his communicator and rank insignia sitting on the table next to it.

After dressing, he passed through the doorway, grabbing hold of the edges as the ship shook again. He looked down the red-lighted halls, trying to remember which hall led to the bridge on these mammoth vessels.

Is that where he was needed, though? As Captain on his own vessels, he absolutely hated another high officer stepping on board his bridge. "Helping" in any way they could often made things harder. Often times interrupted the chain of command.

Alexander turned away and started down the empty hall, curious as to where a command officer could go besides the bridge. Perhaps Weaps? Medical ward? Engineering?

The Captain turned left at the next crossing and stepped into the turbo lift. "Engineering."

IIII

The doors slid open amid chaos.

The engineering deck was larger than any Alexander had before seen. Green tubes marked with antimatter symbols lined either side of the main warp coils. Uncovered decks went up from the central portion of the bottom deck for four stories, and personnel were hurrying along each catwalk, most screaming as they manned their stations.

How anyone knew what one another was doing was beyond Alexander's comprehension.

He stepped out on to the deck and looked from one side to the other, trying to find the commanding officer on the deck as the floor beneath him shook again. Warning lights flashed through the room.

"_Engineering, this is the bridge, we need to divert power from the warp engines to the shields and modulate the frequencies!"_

Either no one noticed or no one cared to respond as Alexander looked about. He started to move towards the core but was quickly knocked back to the door as a dark-haired woman pushed by. "Oi! Get the fook out of the way!" she screamed as she rounded on a seat and began furiously tapping away on the shield modulation panels.

"Captain?" a familiar vioce called from Alexander's side. "What are you doing down here?"

Alexander turned to see Ensign Armand standing with three data pads. He was breathing fast and sweat poured down from the curly mop that covered the top of his head over his olive skin.

"I came down to see where I could be of some help," Alexander answered. "How the hell do you know what is going on around here?"

Amir took Alexander's arm and started guiding him towards the warp coils. "Keep your voice down. Things have been kind of chaotic since Chief Venul came on board a few weeks ago. He keeps changing our shifts around and--"

The Arab looked down at his feet suddenly as the metal grating beneath him began to shake violently.

"_Brace for impact!_"

Alexander and Amir both fell to the ground as the deck shook so violently. Panels through the room began to spark and explode.

"Direct hit on the fore hull!" The dark-haired woman who had pushed Alexander screamed. "Their weapons passed straight through our shields! Damn it, get to your bloody stations and prepare for another salvo!"

Alexander looked to Amir as the two stood and stepped in at two of the nearby panels that had blown out. They were still functioning, but only on the keyboard part of the terminal. Alexander began reading the numbers as they passed by before him. Energy outputs through the shields coming from the rear generators.

They fluctuated, rising and falling quickly, as though they were being manipulated by an outside source.

"You!" the dark-haired woman shouted, pointing her finger at the Captain. "Get away from that terminal and get up to the warp systems on the second deck! Tell them to get their arses in gear and get energy diverted from their end to the shields! Armand get over here and help me, will you!"

Alexander turned and hurried to the nearest ladder, pulling himself up as quickly as he could. Pangs in his arms and side reminded him of the skipped workouts of the last few weeks.

The ship shook again, and Alexander slipped, his sweaty palms barely keeping his body from falling back to the floor. He heard screams call out from through the deck as more systems blew. Smoke began lifting from the bottom floor up through the open coil room.

"Communications are down!" a voice called out from nearby. "We can't reach the bridge!"

"Shields are down to 25!"

"Damage reports coming from all over the ship! Whatever's hitting us is hitting us hard!"

Alexander was tired of all this screaming. Most of it was coming at once, and no one in particular seemed to be responding or reporting it. He turned and faced the bar looking out at all decks.

"Belay all reports!" he called out, speaking from his chest as all senior officers learn to do to be heard. "Unless you have someone specific to talk to, keep your voices down! That's an order!"

All panicked eyes looked to him.

"You've been trained for this," Alexander called out. "In fact, this is exactly what you've been trained for! You're Starfleet Officers and Enlisted! The best of the best! Now, get exactly to your stations in which you're supposed to be and stay there, I don't care if the devil himself comes and orders you away! Hold your positions and use your brains!"

Alexander turned away and stepped quickly to the nearby monitors. The roaring yells of the crew muted as the engines drowned them out, flaring and quieting as the ship made maneuvers.

The tops of the flashing monitors smoked a little and the screens stayed lit long enough to just read what one needed before flickering again. A man and an Andorian stood at the station while another stood at the edge of the deck, his dancing eyes looking over the quieting activity below.

"Do you know how to transfer energy from the engines to the shields?" Alexander asked the Andorian.

"Sir, yes, sir," the Andorian replied. His eyes turned to the officer standing at the end of the deck and he added, "But…"

"We will not be transferring energy, Captain," the officer said in an off-handed way. "I will not allow it."

Alexander looked to the Andorian, whose eyes kept darting back and forth. He nodded slowly and told the two crewmen, "Go ahead, son, it's okay."

A look of relief swept over the Andorian as he turned to his crewmate and nodded. The two quickly started punching in commands as Alexander turned to the officer. "I take it you're Chief Venuili?"

"Engineering Chief Pthel Venul," the man answered, not turning his gaze from the floor below.

"You mind telling me what is going on, here, Chief?" Alexander asked.

"A drill, Captain, nothing more," Venul answered.

The shock of his answer almost knocked Alexander from the top of the case to the floor below. "Are you mad?" Alexander asked.

Venul turned slowly and looked the Captain in the eyes. "I tire of these little games that Vulcan likes to play with us. He's just doing all this because he thinks he can straighten me back in line if he scares me enough."

Alexander turned and grabbed the human crewman's hand and held it up for the chief. "Look!" Alexander screamed. "Look at these burns! You think a Captain would harm his own crewmen just to startle you back into reality! How did you even make Chief with an attitude like this!"

The Chief rolled his eyes and walked around Alexander, heading towards the ladders. "Okay, 'Captain,' or whatever you are."

Alexander felt his heart skip and the blood rush to his head.

"You are relieved of duty, Chief!" Alexander barked. His voice echoed through the chamber, though he did not mean it to. "You will face charges, I will have you in front of a Court-Martial board so fast your head will spin!"

Venul turned and looked at Alexander, meeting him eye to eye for the first time, though Venul had to look down at the Captain. "Who the hell do you think you are?" he asked. "My father is an Admiral…_the_ Admiral. Bpfal Venul. We'll see who is standing before a board of inquiry."

Alexander felt the blood rise in his face. Anger swelled through his whole body. Never before had someone been so insolent, so lost to reality, so…

A loose nut began rattling nearby on the edge of the bars that kept anyone from falling to the floor below. Debris all around the grating below his feet began shaking violently before falling through. Personnel on the carpeting below were looking at their feet, feeling the ground tremble below it.

Alexander could feel the hair rise on his neck. The air left his lungs as he knew…somehow just knew it was about to happen.

The wall exploded above them.

Alexander blacked out for a moment and found himself lying on the carpet floor. His hearing was muted, and his vision blurry. He could feel something warm trickling down from his ears and his nose as the heat swelled over him.

"Containment breach!" some yelled from very, very far away.

"Seal the port section!"

"Medic!"

"Oh my god, she's dead! She's dead!"

"Engines are down, Shields are dead!"

"_Brace for impact!_"

The room shook again. Alexander felt chunks of debris fly over him and he watched as a body slammed into the carpeting next to him. Half the Andorian's face had been burned off, bits of blue flesh hanging from his deformed antennae.

A dizzy wave of nausea passed through him as he smelled the burning flesh in the air.

From so far away, Alexander could hear someone screaming.

"We're all going to die!"

(More to come.)


	4. Fire Above

**_Chapter 3_**

****

**_Stardate _59519.7**

The tension in the room increased sharply as the lighting dimmed about the bridge crew. Thoughts fluttered about as if floating on a light wind, calling out to the young betazed's mind. Fear, anger, anticipation.

Lt. Commander Brianna Venoi, ship's counselor took a deep breath and tried to calm her own mind to filter out all the other thoughts straying through the air.

"Yellow Alert," Captain Sulanic's soothing voice called out through the throng of voices that filled the cabin. "Lt. Psan An Alb Kouish, slow us down to one-quarter impulse and match their moves. Comm, continue to hail them."

Bri turned from the Vulcan's sharp features to the view screen at the front of the bridge. The ship had been on an intercept course for the last fifteen minutes, matching the _Horizon's_ speed. There was no doubt, this strange new vessel had every intention of meeting the crew.

The ship was large, though not nearly as large as a Sovereign-Class vessel. Early scans had shown it to be comparable in technology, though to what extent, it would be difficult to tell until they met face to face.

_Why have they not contacted us, yet?_ Captain Sulanic's thoughts pushed through. _Logically, one would not press a Federation ship without reason._

Bri looked to the screen again and reached out with her own mind. She could feel masses on board the vessel, but they were jumbled. Too many, too close together. Added to the distance from the _Horizon_, and it was nearly impossible to pick apart any one voice. Together, though, the overwhelming feeling was…annoyance. Boredom, perhaps. Business as usual.

"They have not responded to our hails, Captain," Psan An Alb Kouish said. His blue skin reflected the soft yellow lights through the cabin, though his large black eyes seemed to soak in everything around him. "If I may be so bold, Starfleet Regulation 19--"

The Captain knows Starfleet Regulations, Lieutenant, thank you very much," Commander Mina answered sternly. Her thoughts were the sharpest of the lot, this red-haired Bajoran. Easily, she was the most focused on the situation, but her…irritation with others often got in the way.

"Nonetheless, Commander," Sulanic replied. "Psan An Alb Kouish, raise shields, but do not power up our weapons."

"Sir, I'm getting two more warp readings!" Lieutenant Valkir called from the back of the bridge.

"Location?" Mina asked.

"I…I can't get an exact location, Commander," Valkir answered.

"Why not?" Mina asked.

"The signatures aren't there any longer," Valkir answered. "It's like they were there, and then they vanished."

_We've seen this before,_ Sulanic's mind whispered. _Romulan, Klingon cloaking technologies._

Bri closed her eyes for a moment and she reached out. Echoes in the darkness touched her mind. "Captain!" she called out to the bridge. "No, they're there! They're…excited!"

"Excited?" Sulanic asked. "Fascinati--"

Before the Vulcan Captain could finish, warning lights flashed and horns called. The ship automatically came under red alert.

Several voices began shouting at once. Two more vessels, engine matrices matching the first vessel, de-cloaking off the port and aft. High energy readings, could be weapons.

"Evasive Maneuvers, Lieutenant!" Captain Sulanic called surprisingly calmly. Bri could feel a small spike within the Vulcan's heart rate. Even he was a little surprised by the sudden attack.

"Ready counter-measures!" Commander Mina shouted.

"Enemy ships are adjusting courses, 3709.6, 48907.45, and 1254, Captain!"

"Enemy ships 1 and 2 are charging their cannons, readying another salvo!"

"Damage reports from decks 14, and 15: Hull degradation on both--"

"Sir, ES 3 has cloaked, we lost them from sensors!"

"Evasive Maneuver Theta 13," Mina barked.

"Bring Phasers and Quantum Torpedoes online," Sulanic called.

"Commander! ES 3 has de-cloaked at our port side! They're firing!"

"Engineering, this is the bridge, we need to divert power from the warp engines to the shields and modulate the frequencies," Sulanic called into his communicator.

"Evasive Maneuver Alpha--"

"Too late," Sulanic interrupted. "All hands, brace for impact!"

The red orb on the view screen grew larger until it filled the whole screen and disappeared. Chaos erupted. The ship shook violently as several panels at the back of the room blew out. Fire erupted through the back of the bridge and several panels fell from above the work stations, spilling fluid down on the floor.

Bri rubbed at a wet spot on her cheek and pulled her finger back. It took a moment for her brain to register the thick gray liquid on her finger. Blood. Aloguin blood from Lt. N'moir, who had only a second ago been standing at science terminal three.

The Lieutenant's body had been effectively split apart in several places from the explosion, his body parts having sprayed about where he had been standing. The gruesome sight was forever burned into the psyche's of all around.

"Another salvo launched, sir!"

"Can we get around it!" Mina shouted.

"Sir, the shots are passing directly through our shields!"

"Everyone calm yourselves," Sulanic called. "Ready Quantum torpedoes. Helm Evasive Maneuver Alpha 1."

Bri could feel a relative calm pass through the crew. The Captain wasn't worried, why should they?

"EM Alpha 1, aye, Captain," Psan An Alb Kouish answered, his fish-like head nodding.

Bri swore she could feel the ship tilting ever so slightly as the engines powered up, though she knew it was not possible to do. Slowly, she dared her eyes to look at the tactical display on her miniature monitor at her station. Readouts flashed across it telling her numerous bits of information. She was most interested in speed and course, however, both of the ship and the incoming shots. The numbers looked odd at first, but Bri's mind quickly figured out why. The torpedoes were matching speed and course. They turned and the first shot slammed into the back of the ship, hitting mostly shuttle bays while the second came down directly on top of decks 21 and 22. Engineering.

Before she could react, her screen shifted a little and grew brighter. Sparks shot out the sides and the view screen blew up in her face, blinding her for a moment. She felt the heat from the pulse, smelled the burning of hair, but she knew she was not hit bad.

"Captain?" Bri heard. It was Mina, her voice was panicked. Bri lifted her head to try to see, but as she opened her eyes, she winced. Her vision was affected. It would take several minutes for her to regain her sight. She reached out with her mind and felt Mina's shock as she looked at the green blood on her arms.

Sulanic was dead.

"Enemy ships closing in around us, Commander!" Psan An Alb Kouish called.

"Energy readings spiking, Commander!"

"Fires all through the ship! We've lost contact with Engineering!"

Anger swelled up within the Bajoran commander. "Shut up!" she screamed.

Fear ripped through the crew. All were suddenly very frightened of Commander Mina.

Bri fell to her knees from her seat, the edges of her eyes still searing. She reached up and tapped her badge. "Captain Dorsey to the bridge. Immediately."

IIII

Alexander felt the world about him shudder and twist. Smoke filled the air, as panic and fear swept through the Engineering deck.

He felt as though he had no strength left in his muscles, would never have strength left in his whole body, yet knew if he stayed right there, he would die. The Captain opened his eyes and pushed his arms down on the carpeting. His body lifted from the seared red floor, watching as a small line of blood fell from his nose to the floor below him.

A head pushed under his armpit and arms passed around his body, pulling him up to his feet. Alexander looked to his left to find the side of Lt. Armand's curly hair. Alexander was grateful as the young officer helped him stand against the panel.

Several Ensigns and a few officers had already bolted down the hall or through the Jeffries' tubes. Alexander turned to face the deck behind him.

The fires had already been separated and put out by the ship's EVAC system. Small holes straight out of the ship high above shown through on the fifth deck up, emergency shielding having already filled into place to keep everything from being sucked into the vacuum of space.

The engine core, itself, miraculously, was mostly unharmed, and still functioning, though most systems appeared to be offline. Half the stations in Engineering had been blown out by the explosion, and only half of those were still manned.

Alexander turned to see Armand standing before him, taking in the damage through the room, as well. His face was covered with black smoke and dried blood, his uniform was tattered and bloody along his right arm.

The dark-haired woman whose thick Irish accent flared when she became angry eased up behind the young Lieutenant. Her left eye was red and swollen, though otherwise she seemed no worse for the wear. "Chief Venul is dead, sir," she whispered, her voice raspy from the smoke.

"What's the word, Captain?" Amir asked.

Alexander took a short breath, pain shooting up his ribs. He realized all eyes in the room were staring at him. He exhaled shortly, rubbing at the blood under his nose to clear it away. "What's your name, Ensign?"

The dark-haired woman's eyes widened and she put her hand to her chest. "Me, sir?"

Alexander nodded.

"Ensign Jewels Menendez, sir," she answered.

"Ensign, I'm promoting you to a field-rank of Lt. Commander," Alexander answered. "You're in command on board this deck. Priority goes to communication. Get the bridge, find out what's going on up there. Second, get warp engines online. We're going to need them more than impulse or anything else, at the moment."

"Sir," Lt. Commander Menendez nodded.

"Another thing, Commander," Alexander raised his finger. "I want no one punished for abandoning their station, you understand?"

"Sir?" Amir asked.

"As soon as communications are back up, send out a call through the ship, get everyone back down here, and get repairs going. No one is to be in trouble for leaving their post, not this time. I expect a tight ship in here, Commander."

"Yes, sir," Jewels answered. "That won't be a problem."

Alexander nodded and turned to the Jeffries' tubes.

"Sir?" Amir asked. "Where are you going?"

"Where I should have been all along," Alexander answered.

"_Captain Dorsey to the bridge. Immediately."_ Alexander's communicator chirped, static filling the voice at the other side. The Captain brushed back his hair and took a deep breath before setting off on the long climb up.

IIIIII

"All hands brace for impact!"

Alexander wrapped his arm around the last rung of the Jeffries Tube tunnel and closed his eyes. The slow vibrations quickly increased in intensity rattling the bars and bringing more chaos above. The Captain lost his footing on the rungs and screamed out as his arms pinched along the top rung. He knew not to let go no matter how hard the ship was shaking or it would be a long trip down.

The violent shudders of the ship finally eased and passed on, causing the top rung to loosen a little. Alexander gritted his teeth and lifted his hands to the carpeted floor of the bridge, pulling himself to the deck.

"Their torpedoes are ripping right through our shields as though they aren't even there!"

"We have decompression on decks 12, 14, and 15!"

"Phasers are offline, Warp engines are down!"

"Torpedo bays 1, 3, and 4 are destroyed. Torpedo bay 2 is exhausted of all payload!"

Smoke poured around the rear weapons panels, brushing into Alexander's eyes and causing him to cough with several other officers still manning their stations. Two bodies lay on the floor spread out nearby. Panels behind him were blown and exposed wiring flashed and sparked from above, dripping bio-neural gel to the floor where it began eating through the carpeting.

Alexander turned to face the screen, watching as it flickered and snowed, looking as though the ship were passing through a nebula.

"Shut up! Shut up! All of you shut up and focus!" the red-haired Bajoran Commander from before screamed. "Get Phasers back online and get a hold of engineering, I don't care what it takes! We need emergency thrusters!"

"Captain on the deck!" a young Lieutenant shouted from behind Alexander. Alexander brushed at his eyes trying to keep the smoke away, pursed his lips together and stepped forward. All eyes on the bridge turned to him.

Alexander took deep breaths for a moment as he looked around the room. Exposed wiring, smoke rising to the roof, dead and injured throughout the room. His pulse rised for a moment as flashbacks of Locutus calling out over the intercom swept through the back of his memories. He looked down and rubbed at his temples.

"Captain?"

"Clear the bridge of all non-combat personnel," Alexander said, barely above a whisper.

As more than half of the bridge personnel cleared out, carefully hurrying past the debris and bodies, a thousand questions came into his mind at a thousand miles per hour. Who was attacking? Why were they attacking? Where was Captain Sulanic? How many enemies were there?

"Helm?"

"Sir."

"I don't care if you have to get out and push, get me evasive maneuvers," Captain Alexander Dorsey called, moving past the end seats and sitting in the Captain's chair. "Engineering is in worse shape than the bridge, so you'll have to work out the repairs yourself."

"Captain…" the red-haired commander hissed at his side.

Alexander ignored her and turned to the young Andorian behind him. "Weaps?"

"Sir?"

"Is the enemy firing on us?" he asked.

"No sir, they fire salvos of three before their cannons have to recharge," Weaps answered. "I estimate thirty seconds before the two ships open fire again."

"Shields?" Alexander asked.

"Down to thirty percent, sir, but their pulse torpedoes are passing through them as if they weren't even there," Weaps answered.

"Captain, with all due respect, I know you're higher--" the commander started again.

"Helm, what about the warp engines?" Alexander asked, again ignoring the Commander.

"Online, sir, barely," Helm answered. "I can give us warp 4, maybe 5. We're venting coolant all over the place, though."

"Sir, I have 25 Impulse power."

"Move us!" Alexander hissed. "2349.5, down bubble 90 degrees."

"Sir!" helm responded.

"Keep the impulse engines venting," Alexander called.

"Sir!" the red-haired Commander hissed. "I was in command, here! You had no right--"  
"Now is not the time or place, Commander," Alexander hissed as he stood, straightening the top of his uniform. He moved to the Helm and knelt next to the young Lieutenant furiously pecking away at the command monitor in front of him. Sweat fell from his forehead down onto the soft black screen before him.

"Easy, son," Alexander said, putting his hand on the Lieutenant's shoulder. "We'll get through this."

IIII

Professional.

Perhaps that was the best word to describe the room since the Captain appeared on deck. Thoughts floating through the air were uneasy, unsure. Few even knew a Captain was on board the ship, but at the same time, most were glad Commander Mina was no longer in charge.

Captain Alexander Dorsey's mind was clear. Not calm, not too uneasy, but it was clear…focused, perhaps. Seldom did he speak without thinking and his mind never stopped racing, which was what drew Commander Bri's attention to him in the first place.

"Keep the coolant venting, Lieutenant," Captain Dorsey calmly said.

"Enemy ships closing on aft and port sides, sir," Tactical called. "Still no sign of Enemy ship 3."

"Weaps, ready aft torpedoes," the Captain ordered. "A burst of two, directly at the enemy vessels, then the last directly at the coolant."

"The coolant, sir?" Psan An Alb Kouish asked.

"That's the tricky part, isn't it?" Alexander smiled.

_The part where you make us all dead, _the thought drifted from Psan An Alb Kouish's mind. Bri huffed at the thought. And yet, she could not help but notice the quiet that now passed through the bridge. Most were still unsure of what to think, but they weren't as afraid as they had been.

"A split second after you fire the torpedo, cut the coolant leak and engage maximum warp," Captain Dorsey answered.

"That will indeed be tricky, sir," Psan An Alb Kouish answered. "What is our course?"

"Nearest celestial body," Alexander answered.

"Sir!" Weaps called out. "Energy spike…the enemy is powering up their cannons for another shot."

"Drop us to 1/10 impulse, Lt.," Captain Dorsey ordered, standing and crossing his arms. "Exert a good deal of energy into the engines. Make it look like we're blowing a fuse."

"Enemy vessels are slowing, sir, rounding to our port and starboard sides, Captain. Power levels are at their highest output. Looks like they're readying a final shot."

Alexander turned and looked at the bridge crew around him before sitting in his chair. _His_ chair. Somehow, it felt odd to say that, yet, Bri knew…it was his, now.

"Enemy vessels are firing," Weaps said. His voice was unusually calm.

"Lt, engage," Captain Dorsey ordered.

The _Horizon_ cut its coolant, which had already spread throughout the area, fired two torpedoes at each ship, a third at the trail of coolant and immediately jumped to warp speed.

Both enemy ships easy maneuvered away from the torpedoes, but, as the third hit the coolant, it lit the highly explosive liquid and engulfed the entire region in a massive explosion. The two ships were instantly destroyed.

Most on board the bridge, Bri included, wanted to shout and cheer. However, all were unsure what this new Captain would think, as he, himself, kept very quiet, staring at the screen with his hands crossed under his chin and elbows resting on his knees. The bridge crew decided on small jubilations within their own minds, instead.

"Sir, I am picking up a warp signature," Psan An Alb Kouish called back. "It is sporadic, but definitely a ship."

"I assume it's another enemy vessel?" Captain Dorsey asked.

"At least one other ship had been seen in the area, sir," Weaps answered. "It is likely they are pursuing."

Alexander nodded. "Are they keeping up?"

"We're giving it Warp 4.7, sir," Psan An Alb Kouish answered. "It seems they are matching the speed."

"Well, they're not firing," Captain Dorsey sighed. "Until they do, let's pretend we don't notice them. Course and heading?"

"56332.7 Mark 345.3, sir. A Class T System. Pulsar, 2 planets and thousands of asteroids, mostly spread across four belts."

"Perfect," Captain Dorsey answered. "ETA?"

"Two hours."

"Bridge to all hands," Alexander called aloud. "We have come under attack by an unknown enemy. For the moment we've managed to slip by them, but we don't know how long we can run. All hands continue to stay at battle stations until we know we're clear. You all have done an excellent job. Everyone, please return to your posts, find your highest commanding officer and begin all possible repairs. Senior Officers are to meet in fifteen minutes on the bridge. Captain Dorsey out."

Captain Dorsey hung his head for a moment, his eyes dancing across the dead bodies sprawled along the floor, likely only noticing them for the first time. Captain Sulanic lie at his feet. The young Captain brushed his hands over his eyes for a moment and turned to Commander Mina. "You have the bridge for the moment. Anything happens, I'll be in the ready room."

IIIII

More to come.


End file.
